The Long March

The Long March (1950)

Darah dan Do'a

It tells the story of an Indonesian revolutionary who falls in love with one of his Dutch prisoners.

Date of release
1950-09-30
TMDB
8.0 / 10 (1)
Runtime
2h 8m
Genres
War, Drama
Director
Usmar Ismail

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: Indonesia

Darah dan Doa is a 1950 Indonesian war film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail, telling the story of the Siliwangi Division and its leader Captain Sudarto on a march to West Java. Following Ismail's Dutch-produced Tjitra (1949), Darah dan Doa is often cited as the first 'Indonesian' film, and the film's first day of shooting – 30 March – is celebrated in Indonesia as National Film Day.

Production

Darah dan Doa was directed by Usmar Ismail, a former soldier who had previously served as assistant director on Andjar Asmara's Gadis Desa (Village Maiden) and directed two films on his own, Tjitra (Image) and Harta Karun (Treasure; all 1949). Creative control for these works, all of which were produced for the Dutch-sponsored South Pacific Film Corporation (SPFC), was held by cameraman A.A.

Crew for the production consisted of cameraman Max Tera, a former SPFC employee, with makeup by Rancha', artistic design by Basuki Resobowo, G. R. W. Sinsu on music, and Sjawaludin and E. Sambas responsible for the sound effects. Ismail, using his military connections, received technical assistance from various members of the Indonesian Army, particularly Captain Sadono.

Twenty-nine years old, Ismail began shooting on 30 March 1950 in Subang, West Java. The following day he established his own studio, Perfini, to produce the film. Unlike his earlier films, Ismail had severe technical limitations.

Human factors also led to delays in production. Ismail and the other crew members attempted to achieve realism by ensuring everything in the film was as it was in life, a decision which he later recanted after realising that "film was truly the art of make-believe, making people believe something, creating a new reality from what is." Cast-wise, three actors (including the lead, Del Juzar), competed for the affections of Faridah, leading to frict…

During filming, Ismail typed his shooting scripts every night, expanding on the source material. After each day of filming had concluded, Ismail sent the results back to PFN in Jakarta and obtained rush prints which he screened for the cast and crew.

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